Just as the bead clerk and his assistants are closing up the jewelry store for the day, a package containing a very costly necklace arrives by special messenger. The large safe deposit vault has been closed for the night and the time clock set. The head clerk is fearful to leave the necklace in the store and so decides to take it home. His actions have been closely watched by one of the junior clerks, with sinister and stealthy glances.
In this Vitagraph short, anarchism threatens to ruin lives and families. Luigi and Rosa are a couple with an adorable child, but trouble is afoot – Luigi has become an anarchist!
Margaret is the older and Betty the younger of two sisters. Their brother Jack brings a young unmarried millionaire friend to spend a few days with them. Margaret gets in line for the young visitor and warns Betty not to be too presumptuous, for Betty has the advantage in winsomeness. In order to give her sister every change, Betty plays waitress. Jack's friend is so smitten with the pretty maid, that he can see nothing else. Margaret loses, Betty wins. Her identity is made known and the young fellow proposes there and then, the father's consent is gained and Margaret joins in with all the rest offering congratulations.
An impressive Vitagraph short, one of many popular firemen-to-the-rescue films of the time.
The general store at Scrogginses' Corner is the favorite lounging and meeting place for the citizens of the locality. On an eventful day a rich couple call at the store and ask Si Bunny, the storekeeper, permission to leave a bundle there, to be called for on their return. The storekeeper discovers that the bundle contains an infant.
A woman objects to her bachelor friend getting married, so she makes him appear so ridiculous that the other woman refuses to marry him.
Harry Brownley, son of a rich New Yorker, reads a newspaper account of U.S. Revenue officers' plan to raid an illicit distillery in the Tennessee mountains. The young fellow asks his father's permission to join the forces under Sheriff Jackson, of Pikesville, Tennessee. The father reluctantly consents and the son starts out to satisfy his adventurous nature.
The employees of Harrison's mine have been out on strike for a long time. The men wait for him until he is leaving his office in the evening. They try to state their case but he entirely ignores them. They attack him. In terror, he flees before them, escaping by entering the home of a poor widow with two children.
Fred Hart, a young businessman, unknown to his wife, draws their savings from the bank with the purpose of buying a home as a birthday surprise for his wife. He finds a real estate agent who has just the kind of a home he is looking for. He has to visit the agent's home during the course of his business transactions, he becomes well acquainted with the agent's family. The real estate man, a camera fiend, suggests to Fred his taking a picture of him and his family. Fred is agreeable and the agent gives him a copy of the picture. Fred puts it in his pocket and returns home to his wife.
Far up in the mountains Mrs. Bailor's two sons, Tom and Harry, are engaged at their distilling, constantly in fear of being pursued by the revenue officers, and arrested as moonshiners.
John Ruskin became acquainted with his wife through a loan which he made to her father, and his noted generosity no doubt appealed to her and it seems that she married him more out of gratitude than actual love. Be that as it may, the fact remains that when Millais met her, he and she fell desperately in love with each other.
When a young girl who has grown up as a music hall entertainer is brought to live in a stodgy New England town, the quiet town life is changed forever.
From his apartment, where he lives a cheerless widower's life, overlooking Washington Park, Alan Dale sees a refined, but poverty-stricken old gentleman on one of the park benches. Calling his butler, he instructs him to go down and tell the old man he would like to see him. When the butler approaches the elderly man the old fellow is somewhat skeptical, but finally consents to go with him. Alan receives his guest cordially and tells him why he has requested him to come and invites him to dinner. During the meal the old man tells his life's story: how he married a young woman, and after the birth of a little daughter, she died. How his daughter had married a young fellow and gone to live in New York, and how he had lost his money. The last news he had received of her was of her death.
Jack, a little orphan, is anxious to become a sailor, and although Captain Rhines refuses to take him aboard his ship, manages to sneak in as a stowaway. When out to sea a few days, he is discovered, and is about to be disciplined, when the captain's daughter, May, intercedes. A terrific storm strikes them, and the ship is dashed to pieces. The captain, with the assistance of Jack, builds a little raft, and with little May, they set out for an island which they can hardly discern, as it is so many miles away. After drifting for many hours, they at last reach the island, which is inhabited by a savage tribe.
Three part chronicle of how the rumor of war triggers greed in some men and the comeuppance they suffer because of hubris.
An early film version of the Charles Dickens classic about the French Revolution and its subsequent Reign of Terror.
Billie and Dollie are very much in love with each other, and they declare their love under the cherry trees. In later years Billie receives news of his appointment as a cadet at West Point: he promises to return to Dollie as soon as he graduates and claim her for his wife.
Master detective, Lambert Chase, unravels a case of poisoning
Marie, a self-dependent girl, compromises herself by associating with Petro Maquin. She asks him to keep his promise to marry her. He ignores her and leaves the village to join a band of wreckers. The gossips circulate scandal about her, bringing reproach upon her name.
A strike among the hotel waiters is on. The papers are full of it. Chester Colton, and Harris Baldwin, young college chaps, read that waiters are needed in all the big hotels and restaurants. They apply for positions at Belfonte's restaurant. Harris secures a job as head-waiter and Chester is appointed as one of the regular staff. Harris's fiancée has an engagement with her chum to take dinner with her at the restaurant. They boys pay so much attention to the girls that they neglect the other patrons, who make a kick and complain to the proprietor.
Making his departure from home. Captain Jack of the Confederate army, leaves to rejoin his regiment, but before doing so promises his boy that he will return to celebrate the little fellow's fifth birthday. One month later the Captain gets a leave of absence for three days and goes back to keep faith with his son.
Poor Jaime goes to sea to earn enough money to marry Jenny, where he is believed to be lost. Left to support her parents, Jenny is persuaded to marry old Robin Gray.
A day in the life of a family of circus performers.
Two nice young people become acquainted at the beach; A romance develops.
A man is rejected by a woman, and then decides to have her dog stolen. The dog is very approachable, and although he at first wants nothing to do with the man, they ultimately become good friends. Finally, he gives the dog back to the woman.
Norman Winthrop, a surveyor, accidentally meets John Bunny, an Irish watchman of a building. He introduces him to Tom and Will Hawley, two of his friends, at a little poker game in which Bunny pockets all the winnings. Talking over the matter the next day, the three men agree that it would be a great joke to introduce Bunny into society.
Hugh gives his dog to Nancy while he goes to sea. When Nancy's father runs out of money, he must return to the sea with Hugh.
Helen, an heiress and the ward of Martin Talbot, is interested in charity and rescue work; she is vice president of the League of Mercy. Talbot's son makes love to her and her riches. In her visitations among the sick and poor she finds a young girl with a child. She takes the young mother to her home, aid and comforts her; tries to restore her to health. While she is thus engaged young Talbot, to whom she becomes affianced, enters. The young mother recognizes him as the father of her child. Helen gives back her engagement ring, denounces him and orders him from her home. The sick woman falls back dead. Helen adopts the child and brings it up as a member of her own household.
A short comic film in which Sam and Doris use the hat of Doris’ father (a manager) to send letters to each other.
During the French Revolution, the Duke and Duchess of Bérac are captured by a mob. The Duchess agrees to marry one of their leaders in order to save her husband’s life. But her husband finds out about this, and forbids the Duchess to do so. The girlfriend of this leader takes revenge when she learns the truth, and stabs him. The two Béracs then proceed to the guillotine with their heads held high.
Ethel is in love with Jack, one of her father's employees. Jack is fired by Ethel's father, because he wants Ethel to marry a rich banker. Ethel and Jack run away together and on the way they get married with the help of a preacher.
After the overthrowing of Duke Senior by his tyrannical brother, Senior's daughter Rosalind disguises herself as a man and sets out to find her banished father while also counseling her clumsy suitor Orlando in the art of wooing.
A critic, John Mears, retreats to the countryside to recover his health and learns of a legacy tied to his bachelorhood. There, he meets and falls in love with Viola, the daughter of a local farmer. Over time, Mears' broken promises and neglect lead to Viola's heartbreak. As she struggles with her emotions, a tragic event unfolds, and her heartfelt writing finds its way into the hands of playwright Robert Burton. Inspired by her story, Burton creates a successful play, unknowingly drawing from Viola’s pain. Mears, upon recognizing the truth behind the play, is left to confront the consequences of his actions.
Tom and Dick are brothers and are being educated at the same college. Tom is a studious fellow and graduates with honors, while Dick is expelled from college through misbehavior. Dick is ashamed to go home, but before leaving Tom gives him a locket containing a picture of their mother. Ten years later Tom, who is a successful lawyer, is married and has two little children. Dick, who has now been reduced through personal neglect to a derelict, overhears a plan to rob his brother's house. Making up his mind to prevent it, Dick climbs through the nursery window, catches the burglars, but effects their escape. His two little nieces, who have been watching him, kiss and hug him before he makes his exit. When their parents return from the reception they attended, the children relate to them what had happened. Dick gets into a scrape with a gambler a month or two later, who laughs at the miniature of his mother that Dick puts up in lieu of cash.
A silent crime film in which the wealthy landowner Lorenzo, who has been taunting poor Miguel and his family for years, eventually gets his comeuppance.
A short romantic drama in which a captain and his wife are separated by a shipwreck. The woman ends up on a desert island with another man, and they have a relationship. When they are saved by the captain, he decides to stay behind on the island, alone.
Frank and Julia are very good friends, both being single, and live in adjoining apartments. Getting a letter from a friend who asks him to buy an engagement ring. Jack does not know what to do and fears lest he make a mistake. He asks Julia to help him and together they sally forth to the jewelry store, where the ring is purchased. At the store they are seen by Mrs. Gossip, who tells everyone that they are engaged, with the result that the couple are deluged with presents and congratulations. Julia is furious, blaming Jack for the occurrence, but he is more amused than anything else. Finally Julia is persuaded that a real engagement between them would not be so bad, after all. and they go out again to buy yet another solitaire.
In early 19th century England, ambitious and ruthless orphan Rebecca Sharp advances from the position of governess to the heights of British society.
A political crime film in which a militant, anarchist father allows his political ideals to prevail over human dignity. The father uses his young daughter to carry out an attack on Princess Louise. After his wife foils the attack and he is arrested by the police, he steps back from his fanaticism and repents.
John Burling, a detective, rounds up some members of the Night Hawk gang. Bill Hanks, the chief, swears to get even with him. Tim, a little street waif, entering the saloon where the gang are consulting with Maime, a female accomplice, overhears some of their threats. He is discovered and kicked out of the place by Hanks. The next day, Tim, half starving, picks up a purse in the street which he has seen a lady drop. He is tempted to steal it, but in the end gives it back to her. Burling sees this, is struck with the boy's honesty, and being in need of a page boy, hires him and dubs him "Buttons."' Maime visits Burling and leaves him an address to come to investigate a robbery which has occurred at her home. Tim recognizes her as she goes out, follows her and has his suspicions confirmed by seeing her with one of the gang on the street. He goes to warn his master, but Burling has already gone.
Angelo and his daughter Bianca are poor Italian immigrants. They sell fruit and vegetables on the street with the help of Nicola, who is in love with Bianca. To Nicola's dismay, a flirtatious barber by the name of Guiseppe begins to attract Bianca's attention. What Bianca does not realize is that Guiseppe is only interested in her hair, which a wig maker is willing to pay a considerable sum for. When Angelo falls ill and they find themselves without money for food or medicine, Bianca is left with little choice. - Harpodeon
A rich swell travels out West to escape marrying a social climber. There, he meets and marries a bareback rider from traveling circus. Bringing her home, his family's pernicious double-standards are revealed.
Mrs. String, sitting under the rose bushes with her baby, Helen, on her knee, is approached lovingly by her husband, who lovingly speaks to his family and then shakes the rose bushes over their heads, causing the white leaves to fall upon their heads in a shower of rarest sun tints.
When a letter from another woman falls from her boyfriend's pocket, she and her friends form the Men Haters Club. The boys quickly arrange into the Follow the Girls Club in the hopes of winning them back.
Mary is forced into shoplifting to keep up with her rich sorority sisters.
The dramatist’s wife pawns her necklace when her husband tells her he cannot afford to buy her a new gown for the Vavasour Ball. The pawnbroker's daughter borrows the necklace from his safe so that she may wear it to another ball. Trouble ensues for all.
Self-made millionaire, Mason Van Horton embodies the sin of pride after being instilled with it by the Devil. The Devil creates two mortals, a man and a woman, and sends them into the world. The man, Van Horton, is given pride, which the Devil believes will lead to his downfall. The woman, lacking specific attributes, is sent to follow Van Horton, with the Devil anticipating her influence on his downward spiral.
Alice is in an unhappy relationship with her fiance. She falls for a new man, but he goes swimming and starts to drown. Can Jean save the day?
After a prologue where we are shown the backgrounds of Wilhelm II and Woodrow Wilson, we see the story of Conrad Le Brett from Alsace-Lorraine. Forced to fight for Germany Conrad, sees soldiers taking girls into a church to rape them and kills one who murders a baby. Shot in the encounter he is taken to a Brussels hospital run by nurse Edith Cavell where he falls in love with American nurse, Amy Gordon. After Edith Cavell assassination and the murder of Conrad’s sister Vilma by the evil Lieutenant Ober Conrad honors her dying request that he go to America and defend Alsace-Lorraine's reputation. Once there he convinces President Wilson that Alsatians should be allowed to enlist. Fighting with the "doughboys," Conrad kills Ober, and after the armistice, returns to Amy.
Robert Wallace, the elder son of a rich and indulgent father, marries Margaret Christy, a spirited patriot, so that he can escape the call to war. Discovering the reason for Robert's haste to get married, Margaret is appalled and resolves to bring home to her husband a sense of his personal responsibility. In order to instill patriotism in Robert, Margaret contrasts him with John Harding, the man who gave her up to go to war. When Robert protests his wife's tactics, Margaret accuses him of being a contemptible coward. The next day a German insults the American flag, and Robert, his sense of justice aroused, makes him salute it. He then bids Margaret farewell and marches off to war. Margaret sees him off without divulging the secret that she is pregnant, thus sacrificing her own welfare for that of her country.
Hero Handsome Harry must rescue his love interest, Lizzie, from a villainous character named Creampuff. Harry is repeatedly "beaned" by a beanshooter in the hands of a villainous boy and then Creampuff, but he overcomes the obstacles, defeats Creampuff, and ultimately is arrested for carrying a concealed weapon before being freed by the triumph of justice.
Regular guest Francis Marchmont visiting the seaside Hotel Continental, now mostly deserted due to a diphtheria epidemic, meets and befriends a mysterious woman, "Mrs. Lucie Fairbanks," only to discover she and another woman are rivals, both common-law claimants to the fortune of his hated enemy, the late copper magnate Thomas Cadwallader Bennet, leading to a night of intrigue and mistaken identities in the empty hotel.
Malvini, retires to a monastery after his wife elopes with another man. After 20 years, Malvini returns to find his daughter, Valeria, accused of murder. Her lover, Mario, had actually shot the man in self-defense, but the dying victim blamed Valeria. Mario, initially driven insane by the event, recovers and explains what happened. The priest intervenes with the King, Valeria is freed, and Mario is pardoned. The film ends with the priest marrying Valeria and Mario.
Female gang leader, "The Tigress," is married to a master criminal. She steals a child from a wealthy family and raises him as her own, giving him all her love while keeping him unaware of her criminal activities. She becomes the de facto leader of the gang and rules them with an iron will.
Dalton, a promising young doctor, becomes infatuated with a dancer named La Stella who introduces him to drugs, and he becomes a morphine addict. His addiction leads to the death of a child due to a fatal medical error while he is under the influence, ultimately ruining his career.
When the body of Wall Street broker Norman Temple is found dead in his office, the police arrest contractor James Borden for the crime on the testimony of Temple's secretary that Borden had threatened her employer over an unpaid note. Also under suspicion is Temple's Japanese valet, who quarreled with his employer the day before the murder. Tex, a detective, enters the case, following his own leads which prove the valet innocent. Tex finally deduces that Minkin, one of Temple's clerks, shot his employer when he interrupted the clerk robbing his safe. With Tex's revelation, Minkin's room is searched, the stolen bonds found and Borden is freed.
After her father and two brothers are killed, Cynthia and her mother go to New York, where Cynthia gets a job in his office working for a wealthy stockbroker who's attracted to her.